GENERAL INFORMATION

Official Name: Republic of Turkey (Turkiye Cumhuriyeti)

Founder: Mustafa Kemal Ataturk

Location: Eastern Mediterranean. Located on two continents: Europe and Asia. The European part of Turkey is called Thrace, while the Asian part is called Anatolia (or Asia Minor)

Extension: Approximately 780 thousand sq. kms
Approximately 1,600 kms East to West; 650 kms North to South

Population: 71,517 million

Capital: Ankara

Official Language: Turkish

Currency: Turkish Lira (TL)

Religion:

99% Muslim
1% Orthodox Christians, Catholics, Protestants, Jews and other.
Turkey is a secular state where religious and state affairs are separated.

National Anthem: Istiklal Marsi ("The Independence Hymn")

National Flag: White crescent moon and a star on a red background.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Time Zone: GMT+2

Internet TLD: tr

Country Phone Code: +90

City Phone Code(Istanbul): 212(European Part) / 216(Asian Part)

Electricity: 220 volts AC

Climate:

Marmara, Aegean and Mediterranean coasts: typical Mediterranean climate with hot summers and mild winters.
Black Sea Coast: temperate with warm summers, mild winters and relatively high rainfall.
East and Central Anatolia : continental climate; hot summers and cold winters.

Eating Tips:

Eating out is something that you should definitely do. Turkish cuisine offers some wonderful dishes in very reasonable prices. There is a large choice of vegetarian dishes as well as an immense variety of meat and fresh fish dishes.
The desserts are quite heavy due to large amounts of sugar that is a staple part for some of these dishes

Restaurants:

There are some well known dishes that worth a try. Doner and Sish-kebap, KarniYarik, (Aubergines filled with ground beef). Drink yogurt, traditional Turkish tea and Turkish coffee. Also try restaurants that serve home made dishes.
Tipping: Check your bill to see if the service charge is included or not. A 10% is the standard tip.

Shopping:

Turkey is the shopper’s paradise. Bargains are common especially for leather goods or carpets and the minute you become accustomed to it and it's lots of fun. Only in big shopping centers you do pay the displayed price. In other places you must bargain. Visit Istanbul Grand Bazaar (Kapali Carsi Bazaar). There you can find more than 4000 stores

Currency Regulations:

Turkish Lira is available in the following denominations:
Banknotes: 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 TL & 200 TL Coins: 5, 10, 25 & 50 Kuruş and 1 TL
You can obtain currency before travelling to Turkey or on arrival. Exchange rates are usually slightly better in Turkey and all international airports have exchange facilities. Usually, cash can be exchanged without charging commission in exchange offices, banks or hotels. Please note that Scottish notes are not accepted in Turkey. Travellers' cheques can be exchanged in banks only. Cash point machines (ATM) are available in most areas, which accept major UK credit and debit cards and give instructions in English. It may be a good idea to inform your bank in advance that you are travelling to Turkey as some will automatically put a stop on cards after the first usage in an attempt to combat fraud. Exchange rates are published daily in Turkish newspapers. If you are planning to exchange currency back from TL before leaving the country, or are making a major purchase, which may need to be declared to customs, you will need to keep your transaction receipts in order to show that the currency has been legally exchanged

Emergency Numbers:

Emergency: 112
International Operator: 115
Directory Assistance: 11811
Reversed Charge Calls: 131
Police: 155
Gendarme: 156
Fire Department: 110